Hole in the wall sushi shop, that's what Sushi Atlantic is. Located near the hospital downtown, Sushi Atlantic would be easily missed if you weren't paying attention. I've passed it numerous times going to Capitol Market, but I never noticed it was there. 

My friend Karie and I walked inside to an empty restaurant. It was just us and a single, older gentleman who asked us what we'd like to drink.

He came back with a few mismatched glasses and some menus.

Looking around, it looks like the restaurant could handle a good scrubbing. It just looks as though it's old and has accumulated dust and other things.

I looked through the roll sushi, and I decided on the classic philadelphia roll, with smoked salmon, and I tried their West Virginia Roll, which has sour seaweed, cucumber, crab stick, smelt roe and shrimp.

The older man was the only person in the restaurant, and he handmade our rolls, too. So, it did take some time, and I imagine if others were here, it would take even longer.

Eventually, he brought our rolls out. He was really sweet, and he clearly has been doing this for a while. Because they were great.

The Philly roll - salmon tasted fresh. So important. Simple flavors, but fresh and tasty.

The WV roll - little bit more complex here. If the sour seaweed scares you, don't let it. The slight, slight tart flavor really made the flavors shine here. It's like a california roll, but with shrimp on top and the slight tart taste. Really good.

The local sushi place that's down-to-earth, find sushi. A lot of classic rolls here with some fancier ones, too. I can see how others would say it takes a long time, but I guess I lucked out.

They DO accept Mastercard and Via. Minimum charge of $6. Their hours are a bit tough: 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday for lunch. 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday for dinner. They're closed Sunday and every third Wednesday.

Grade: A

Just as an FYI:

The Kanawha-Charleston Health Department makes it pretty easy to see how a restaurant has done with its health inspection: http://www.healthspace.com/clients/westvirginia/kanawhacharleston/kanawhacharleston_web_live.nsf.

In my experience, it's not always easy finding a nice, sit-down Chinese restaurant in West Virginia. Half are takeout, and the other half are buffets. Somewhere inbetween those are the ones you can actually sit down to enjoy a meal.

Chin's fills that void for me here in Charleston.

It was raining this particular day so my friend and I ran inside. As soon as we entered, she was recognized and warmly welcomed.  Chin's is run by a family, and my friend is from the area. She has been going to this restaurant for a long time.

This is one of the best things about eating locally - actually knowing the people who are cooking and supporting local families and having that connection.

Chin's has every kind of dish you can think of, but if you're wanting a real treat, check out their chef specialties. Yum.

I decided to go with a dish that just about every restaurant has, so it's a solid benchmark to provide a sense of consistency for judging: sweet and sour chicken.

But before that, it's eggroll and crab cheese rangoon time.

Chin's is known for their eggrolls. Crispy outside and packed with hunks of cabbage, carrots and steamed veggies. Must try these babies.

The crab cheese rangoons are always good, and that's no exception here. Who doesn't want a crunchy coating filled with oozing cream cheese and crab meat?

But let's get to the main attraction here: sweet and sour chicken. I love love love the sauce it as cooked in. The tangy sweet sauce with cooked veggies - tomatoes, green pepper and pineapples. Everything was so fresh and so hot.

The sauce spread to the fried rice - a welcome development. I would pour the sauce on everything, if I could. And for whatever reason, I can never find an equivalent in the grocery store. Just too good.

Grade: A

The Nelson Ratings
Get it? Like the Nielsen Ratings? I thought it was clever - compliments to my friends for the wordplay. But anyway. Around this time of year, we see tons of award shows - Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, Tonys, etc. or we'll at least be hearing about them soon. Even Morgantown Magazine will come out with their Best Of Morgantown list. I often get asked "what's your favorite restaurant in Morgantown?" Well, here you go. I'm hoping I didn't forget many or leave many out. Let me know your favorites!

Pizza
1. Pizza Al's
My first experiences in Morgantown began living in Pierpont my freshman year. It didn't take long for my roommates and I to discover Pizza Al's, then subsequently stuff our faces with an entire pizza at least once a week. Huge, flat slices with a perfectly seasoned sauce and tons of cheese make this my #1 choice, hands down.
> Runners-up: PeppeBroni's, Milano's

Pizza II - Specialty Pies
1. Mountain State Brewing Company
Specialty pies get a special category because sometimes you just want a typical cheese pizza. Other times, you're feeling more adventurous. Mountain State has probably the coolest environment in town - laidback, relaxed, cool craft beer and delicious, creative pizzas. Try the Cuban if you haven't already.
> Runners-up: New Day Bakery, Vintage Room

Indian
1. Mother India
Try their buffet on Sundays. Chicken Tikka Masala? Gulab Jamun? Samosas? Pakora? It's all there, and it's all delicious. And if you're unsure about what to try, nothing is better than a buffet where you get to try a little of everything and discover your favorites!
> Runner-up: Saffron

Mediterranean
1. Ali Baba's
In the mood for hummus or falafel? Why not enjoy it while watching planes take off into the sky? In addition to the excellent service and atmosphere, the food is delicious and of the highest quality.
> Runner-up: Mediterranean Market and Deli

Italian
1. Puglioni's Pasta and Pizza
Their pasta carbonara is the stuff dreams are made of - oh, and that bread! If you want to splurge on your carbs for the day, there's no better way to do it than Puglioni's. It's homey, cozy, delicious and there's no way to leave still hungry.
> Runners-up: Agresti's Tuscan Grill, Oliverio's Marketplace, Oliverio's Ristorante

Sushi
1. Volcano Japanese Restaurant
I fell in love with Volcano when I first wrote about its opening in town. I tried a few rolls - the West Virginia roll and the Candy Cane roll. To this day, I still order a West Virginia roll 90% of the time. It's just so good.
> Runners-up: Yama Japanese Restaurant, Ogawa Japanese Restaurant

Asian
1. Chaang Thai
> Runners-up: Peking House, WV Panda

Take-Out
1. China One
> Runner-up: Lavender Cafe

I started this list a while ago, but then I got a job and moved, so I wanted to at least publish what I have so far. And if I find the time to finish this up with the other categories I had or start a Charleston one ... we'll see.

Someone explain to me the difference between Mediterranean and Middle Eastern. Because what I usually associate with each seems to be interchangeable. And Greek food for that matter.

I tend to think of olives, pasta, feta as Mediterranean. And hummus, falafel, kebabs as Middle Eastern. But that's not a hard and fast rule.

Regardless, Sahara Restaurant is a Middle Eastern restaurant in downtown Charleston. They have a nice lunch buffet - which isn't too far from work - so a friend and I decided to fill up on pita and roll ourselves outta there.

The lunch buffet runs Monday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. On Friday, the Buffet runs 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The dinner buffet is Friday 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.




There's a long hot bar with some lemon chicken dishes, pasta, kebabs, rice, eggplant and others. To the side is a cold bar with some hummus, baba ghanouj, etc. plus some desserts. It's a pretty good spread with a decent variety for lunch. I do think there could be a little more. And it's the perfect time to try something new if you're not familiar.

I got some grape leaves, meatballs, garlic Parmesan pasta, curry, hummus and pita. It seems to spread to some American dishes, so a hybrid of sorts. The buffet offers a variety of flavors and dishes to choose from. Great quality ingredients, spices and recipes here.

I was a fan of mostly everything I tried, and nothing stood out to me as undesirable. That's rare - usually I try one or two things that I'm not crazy about. Pretty good all around.

It's not a bad price, but if you're not used to spending $10 or so on lunch, you might look elsewhere.

Grade: A